About France-Lise McGurn

France-Lise McGurn (born 1983) is a contemporary Scottish artist who has gained international recognition for her immersive paintings, drawings, prints, and installations. Known for her fluid, dreamlike style, McGurn explores themes of identity, intimacy, and the female gaze, creating fragmented narratives that blur the boundaries between figuration and abstraction. Her work is celebrated for its immediacy and emotional resonance, establishing her as a distinctive voice in contemporary painting.

McGurn’s signature visual language combines flowing lines, gestural brushstrokes, and vibrant colors, which infuse her compositions with dynamic energy and a sense of movement. Influenced by her background in fashion and textile design, her paintings often incorporate rhythmic patterns and motifs that lend a tactile, layered quality to her surfaces. The human figure—particularly women—emerges as a recurring motif in her practice. These figures, often depicted in states of intimacy or vulnerability, challenge conventional representations of femininity while celebrating strength, sensuality, and complexity.

Her paintings and limited edition prints extend this exploration of the female form, presenting imagery that is both deeply personal and socially engaged. By portraying women outside traditional ideals of beauty, McGurn invites audiences to reconsider cultural expectations and to connect with the raw authenticity of her subjects.

Beyond canvas and paper, France-Lise McGurn is acclaimed for her site-specific installations. Through the arrangement of paintings and wall drawings across exhibition spaces, she transforms galleries into immersive environments. These installations dissolve the boundaries between artwork and viewer, enveloping audiences in layered narratives that invite personal reflection and active engagement.

Today, McGurn is recognized as one of Scotland’s most important contemporary artists. Her practice continues to expand internationally, with her paintings, prints, and installations sought after by collectors and institutions alike for their lyrical, immersive qualities and their bold reimagining of the female gaze in contemporary art.

Notable exhibitions

France-Lise McGurn’s exhibition history reflects her rise from intimate gallery shows in the UK to major institutional presentations across Europe. Her early recognition came with solo exhibitions in Glasgow and London, where her immersive installations and wall paintings established her distinctive voice in contemporary painting.

In 2019, she made her high-profile national debut with Art Now: Sleepless at Tate Britain, her first significant museum solo exhibition. That same year, she was included in key group shows such as Mark Making: Perspectives on Drawing at Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art and later in the Drawing Biennial 2021 at the Drawing Room in London, placing her work alongside leading international contemporaries.

Her international presence expanded in 2020 with her overseas museum debut Bodytronic at Kunsthaus Pasquart in Biel, Switzerland, which introduced her immersive practice to European audiences. More recently, in 2024 she has presented major solo exhibitions at The Modern Institute in Glasgow (What Everyone Wants) and at MASSIMODECARLO in London and Paris (Strawberry), reinforcing her stature within the international gallery circuit.

McGurn has also exhibited at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, the Glasgow Women’s Library, and the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow, institutions that continue to highlight her contribution to feminist and figurative abstraction. Her paintings and limited edition prints are increasingly sought after by collectors, with her exhibitions affirming her role as one of the most compelling Scottish artists of her generation.